On this [artist page](http://www.tcelectronic.com/richard-kruspe) for Richard Kruspe of [Rammstein](http://equipboard.com/band/rammstein), is all of the T.C Electronic pedals he uses, among them is a TC Electronic Dark Matter Distortion.

"my pedalboard, which changes quite regularly as I come across some other new bit of kit. It is largely TC, though. I currently have a TC Corona chorus, Hall of Fame reverb, Flashback Delay and looper, Dark Matter overdrive, Helix phaser, ElectroHarmonix POG2, Radial Design Big Shot ABY amp switcher, Line 6 Relay G50 wireless system going into a TC Electronic Blacksmith 1600w head, and two 4×10 cabs."

Description

The TC Electronic Dark Matter Distortion Guitar Effects Pedal aims to give you that powerful, super-musical roar of an early Plexi - a sound that will satisfy even the pickiest players out there.

From cleans with an attitude and warm bluesy tones to a crunch with grit for days and fully saturated lead sounds full of harmonics and overtones, it's all here and instantly available by riding your guitar's volume knob. Dark Matter distortion is built from the highest-grade components, features an easy-access battery hatch and has a conveniently small footprint.

Dark Matter Distortion defines instant gratification and will become the go-to pedal on your board for distortion. Initially, you simply plug it in and start rocking, but its many great sounds will have you playing with it for years to come. From bluesy crunch to full-on vintage cranked, but always very musical distortion sounds, this pedal was designed for the guitarists that like things a bit (or very) dirty. Featuring an all-analog circuit, dual-band tone controls, level and drive knobs and a voicing switch to tweak the bass response, you are set from creamy leads over riff-heavy stadium rock to modern, angst-ridden grunge.

By ramping up the voltage to more than 3-4 times the amount of your typical drive pedals, a dramatic increase is achieved in terms of headroom and dynamics. There is plenty of gain to suit any kind of musical style, but the sound always stays very open and clear and it will never get muddy or cover up your playing.

Instead, Dark Matter Distortion has a very open character, no matter if you use it as a slight 'AC/DC-ish' crunch or as a full-blown, fire-breathing dragon, this pedal will always let your playing shine through. All Dark Matter Distortion will do to your sound is add degrees of distortion and leave your precious tone alone.

Specifications

True Bypass - zero loss of tone

Gain, Level, Bass and Treble controls - total control of your distortion sounds

Voicing switch - for an awesome shift in bass response

Easy battery access - makes changing batteries fun! (well, almost)

Small footprint - save precious pedal board space

High-quality components - only the best will do when it comes to tone

Road-ready design - ready to follow you wherever your playing takes you

DC adapter sold separately

12
reviews

I was very surprised finding this quality for such a price. The Dark Matter might be a digital pedal (which I'm usually not a very big fan of), but it has a wide range of sounds. It varies from a light overdrive type of sound to a heavy crunching sound. I also like the bass and treble knobs. But please TC Electronics: Get better on/off switches on your pedals, because they are very fragile!

the thing about dirt boxes (other than fuzz or specialty boxes like the JHS colourbox) is they're all simulations of tube amp distortion, so its really immaterial how that gets accomplished, clipping diodes, mosfets, a digital model? if it sounds good to you and meets your needs then it is good.

Dark Matter Distortion aims to give you that powerful, super-musical roar of an early plexi - a sound that will satisfy even the pickiest players out there. We are confident we have achieved just that, and this is one of those pedals you have to try to believe what it can actually do for your distorted sounds.

Whether you want an easy and simple lo-gain for post time-effect creaminess, or you want to front load your amp with an array of dark and throat lows all the way up to shrieking and squawking hi's. Get this. It's not a metal pedal, so don't fool yourself into thinking you're going to gain town, but this rock-minded distortion will carry you through any classic song on its own, or can be used with other friends to build great shoe-gazey goodness. It's a fully responsive, dynamic, and powerful distortion pedal. Keep the level above noon for unity or boost, or cut your volume down to size and get gainy after some other great effect. This pedal sounds great all over the board, and it's ridiculously cheap for the effect contained within.

I think its just the distortion section of the Nova Drive with a mid-cut switch added, which is to say it is a modified Rat. Not a criticism, I love the distortion in my Nova Drive. Schools a stock Rat.

This pedal sounds more like an Overdrive. Of course you have a distortion, but you can clean the sound almost 100%! We never have that with Distortion pedals, only with Overdrive pedals. I trusted some videos on the YouTube, but when I tried by myself, I only got to those great tones using a little bit of crunch on the amp, so the pedal was pushing the sound.
The pedal alone has a lot of low-end, and when you try to get rid of it turning down the BASS knob, you will end up with no body at all, just a skinny sound.
I think you need to try it before buying. It ended up as a medium drive option to me, so I still use my Mooer Rage Machine to high-gain distortion. Maybe when I get an Overdrive pedal to push the Dark Matter, than I can stop using my Mooer.

This pedal is, well, a distortion pedal, and the only real reason I bought it was to hear the difference between overdrive and distortion (my amp has built-in overdrive). It's a good pedal, but it adds a lot of midrange, which is not what I look for in a distorted song (I love midrange, don't get me wrong). There's also this "voice" switch that doesn't really do anything, as far as I can tell

I would like to mention that I happen to love this pedal. I use it a lot, the only reason I don't like it is the weird "voice" switch and the midrange. Otherwise, it's a great pedal. I genuinely enjoy this pedal